Toyota and GM win CAA Pyramid Awards

by Autos - January 19, 2007

January 19, 2007

Toyota and GM win CAA Pyramid Awards

2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid. Click image to enlarge

Montreal, Quebec – Toyota Canada Inc. has received the 2007 CAA Pyramid Award for Environmental Initiatives, for the 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid. The Canadian Automobile Association presented the award at a special ceremony at the Montreal International Auto Show.

“On behalf of everyone at Toyota, I’d like to thank the CAA for this important recognition,” said Stephen Beatty, Managing Director at Toyota Canada Inc., in his acceptance. “The Toyota Camry is the best-selling car in North America, and with the launch of the Camry Hybrid, we have brought hybrid technology into the mainstream. In 2006, Canadians purchased more than 2,100 Toyota Camry Hybrid vehicles, representing 10 per cent of all Camrys sold since the hybrid vehicle’s introduction. We think this is a remarkable achievement for any hybrid vehicle in its first year of production.”

In presenting the award, the CAA cited the Camry Hybrid’s affordability, impressive fuel efficiency rating, and potential to contribute to positively addressing climate change. The Camry Hybrid is a full gasoline-hybrid passenger car that switches between a four-cylinder gasoline engine and high-torque electric motor, or uses both, as driving conditions warrant.

At the ceremony, CAA also presented an Award of Recognition to the Clean Air Foundation and General Motors of Canada for their Car Heaven Program. The program picks up and recycles old, higher-polluting vehicles. In May 2005, Car Heaven forged a partnership with GM Canada to launch a $1,000 incentive for eligible donors toward a new GM vehicle. The partnership helped increase donations to more than 12,000 in 2006, which translates into the removal of vehicle emissions equal to more than 230,000 new vehicles.